Prayer For Rains

May 25, 2016

This year our country is facing an unprecendented drought. In our own State of Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidharba are going through dark times, with people specially women having to trudge miles to get water for drinking, washing etc. Some dams in Marathwada have only 2% stock left. The Western Region Social Service Forum is organizing relief efforts. In our Archdiocese this will be coordinated by the Centre For Social Action.

This crisis alerts us to the necessity of being aware of our need to care for creation. Pope Francis has made an urgent appeal for this in thie Encyclical Laudato Si. A few years back we had a yearlong campaign for this in our Archdiocese. We need to be reminded once again of our need to be careful in our use of water, to save energy and to protect nature. Our FABC Office for Climate Change now located in Mumbai will work on this.

The forecast from experts that the monsoons will be a bit delayed is a cause for great worry. Conscious of how much we depend on rains, I urge all our people to pray for a good monsoon. The following prayer may be said every day after Mass, and added to the Prayer of the Faitful on Sundays:

O God in who we live and move and have our being, grant us sufficient rain so that being supplies with what sustains us in this present life, we may seek more confidently what sustains us for eternity. (For this we pray to the Lord or we make this prayer through Christ Our Lord)